Just Beyond Hate Street
by Glory For Sleep
Summary: "Rival" is a title, not a sentence. Beyond the stage of competition, trust, friendships, and memories can form - and change that "rival" title to something entirely different. Oneshot collection. May/Drew, Harley/Soledad, and the family in between.
1. a shot of espresso

**AN:** A collection meant to deal with the family-like bond that could exist between May, Drew, Harley, and Soledad - with some romance thrown in for good measure. All of these oneshots are going to vary in length, be different stories, and will probably not be connected unless said otherwise.

That all mentioned, we'll kick this off with something featuring May and Drew.

* * *

She pauses when she leaves the coffee shop, her hot cappuccino an inch from her lips.

He's sitting at the farthest table, away from the people and pokemon that have taken seats right by the shop's front, their voices mixing together with the news of the day. He sips at his own steaming beverage, his emerald eyes focused on the page of the book he's reading – a thick novel, with a black-colored hard cover, and a spine decorated with the elegant, golden letters of a title she then recognizes as a bestselling fantasy story.

She isn't surprised that she sees him here. Ever since she started her tour through Johto a month ago, they've run into each other multiple times. A majority of those times were within the waiting rooms of contest halls as they competed against one another in the art of pokemon coordinating. Rarely, though, had they really met with one another off of an arena's stage, and she wonders if she should say hello or leave him to his reading.

Her answer is chosen for her, as he looks up from his novel to take another sip of his coffee. He notices her as she stares at him from across the outside dining area. His eyebrows rise, but only for a second, and a small smirk tugs at his lips as he gestures her over.

She blinks. With her fingers warm from her cappuccino (cardboard coverings can't suppress the heat forever, she figures – and she realizes how long she's been standing there), she walks over to him, watching as he dog-ears the page to his novel, closes the book, and sets it down on the table in front of him, his eyes meeting hers.

"Hey, Drew," she says, stopping by his table.

His smirk shows itself more fully. "What's up, May?"

She shrugs, wondering what she could say to her rival.

Drew frowns. He looks down at the empty seat across from his, and then he looks back at her. Their eyes cross, and he tilts his head toward the seat.

May smiles sheepishly and takes the empty seat. She's glad that she's not intruding on anything, but even with that she still feels awkward. A sense of comfort always came to her when she was around Drew, as he reminded her that she wasn't entirely alone in the big region of Johto. However, this didn't change the fact that, apart from that, they were still rivals, and rivals sitting down with one another outside a coffee shop seemed contradictory. She and Drew had done this before – striking conversations outside of the line of work that made them rivals to begin with – but that didn't stop the uneasiness that came with the feeling that she was breaking some sort of golden rule about competition.

Maybe it's just her that feels weird, because Drew leans back in his chair, runs his fingers through his chartreuse-colored hair, and asks, "So, how're you doing?"

"Pretty good," she says, for the lack of anything better. She looks up at the sky; it's clear over Violet City, the sun shining brightly, warming the air. "I was just going for a walk. It's a nice day today."

"It is."

"What about you? What are you doing?"

Drew places his hand on his book. "Catching up on my reading. I haven't had much time for it with my coordinating and all."

"Where are Harley and Soledad?"

"Out there somewhere. Probably arguing and stuff, you know?"

She chuckles. "Yeah."

He meets her eyes for a third time. Her breath catches in her throat. His eyes had always reminded her of a dragon's – deep and majestic.

"How are your pokemon?" he asks.

And their conversation continues. She talks about her pokemon, he talks about his, and they both tell their plans for what they want to do next after they leave Violet. From there, more topics are brought up, and more stories are shared. As Drew speaks, she listens, and she learns things about him that – with the busy schedule of their rivalry – she didn't have time to learn before.

And, suddenly, things aren't so awkward anymore.

An hour passes, and she only realizes how much time it's been when she goes to take a sip of her cappuccino and notices that it's empty. She frowns, tossing the cup into a nearby trashcan.

"Need another cappuccino," May says. "I'll be right back."

But, Drew stops her with a hand to her arm. "Don't worry about it. I'll get it."

She blinks, watching as he pulls out his wallet. "You don't have to do that."

He shrugs, as if the decision is nothing out of the ordinary.

"What are friends for?"

She blinks again.

And then she smiles.


	2. heart songs, part 1

**AN: **An "Ipod shuffle chapter", something I've wanted to try for a while.

* * *

**"Here I Am" – Bryan Adams**

"Nervous?"

May met Drew's eyes. "A little."

Drew smirked. He looked back at Johto, which stretched out before them, painting hills, forests, and a deep sky all the way to the horizon. "I'm not surprised. This is your first adventure on your own, without Ash or Brock or your brother tagging along, right?"

Swallowing hard, May looked at the ground. Her eyes grew dark, as she remembered her experiences through the regions of Kanto and Hoenn. She had learned a lot of things – things that made her who she was and made others who they were; it had given her memories that would live forever, guiding her to new roads and reminding her of the possibilities that existed at their ends.

But…

She had rarely experienced any of those things on her very own. She had always been with someone, whether that someone was Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, who taught her many of the things she knew; her brother, Max; or Brock, her source of advice for when things lacked sense.

Now, she was on her own. While Ash, Brock, and Max moved on to follow their own roads, she had traveled to Johto. Though her dream of becoming a top coordinator was still as strong as the sun that shined above, it didn't make the nervous feeling go away; the knowledge that, when she was lost or confused, she couldn't look behind her and expect to see Ash, Brock, or Max there, ready to support her.

"Hey."

May blinked and looked behind her.

Soledad walked up to her side, her eyes warm. "I was nervous the first time I started out on my own, too."

Harley appeared by May's other side. He grinned. "Things are scary when you face them alone, hon. But, look at it this way, you're not really alone. Sol, Drew, and I will be with you."

May opened her mouth, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She looked at Drew.

He shrugged. "Well…I guess someone _does _need to make sure you don't trip over yourself…"

In any other situation, May would've frowned at that and retorted with a snappy remark. But, she didn't. She smiled and looked back at the horizon – at the whole new world waiting for her.

It was a whole new world waiting for _them_.

Her, and her rivals. Here they were, and they were going to experience it together.

_Not alone._

She stepped forward.

"Let's go."

* * *

**"Cavanaugh Park" – Something Corporate**

Soledad blinked when she finally found Harley, sitting on a still swing in the middle of the playground. She walked over to him.

"Harley?"

He looked up, closing his hand around the photo he had been staring at. "Oh, hey, Sol."

"I've been looking all over for you." Soledad frowned. "Why'd you leave the pokemon center so suddenly?"

Harley shrugged. "I saw this place on our way to the center. I thought I'd come check it out after you, May, and Drew got settled into rooms for the night."

"Oh…"

Soledad took the empty swing right next to him, keeping her feet on the ground so it stayed still. It was dusk; the sky was turning purple from black in preparation for night, stars poking out from beneath the thick canvas. Apart from her and Harley, the playground was deserted, as was the park that surrounded it. Its trees rustled in the gentle breezes, as if to acknowledge the room to move.

Looking over his shoulder, Soledad saw what was on the photo in Harley's palm. It was a woman, whose hair was similar to Harley's, her eyes reflecting his own. His mother.

"You miss her, don't you?" Soledad asked, her voice soft.

"A bit," Harley said. "I haven't seen her much since my dad and her got divorced after I set out for my pokemon journey. It's been a long time. But…just walking by a place like this." He shook his head, an amused smile crossing his face. "It reminds me of this park that my mom used to take me to when I was little, back in Slateport. When she and my dad started fighting heavily, I would always run to that park and just…sit here for hours, staring at the stars, forgetting everything. It was my escape – a home until it was quiet enough to go back to my real one."

Soledad looked at the ground. She knew about the park back in Slateport, she knew about the problems between Harley's parents, but she listened anyway, as if hearing it all for the first time. Harley was her best friend, after all – a friend she had had since she was a child herself. Though she had never seen much of the park that Harley spoke about, she knew how much the memories meant to him; visions of the past where things were still innocent and where dreams couldn't be shattered by the harsh ways of reality.

Harley chuckled. "Why are you listening to me get all nostalgic, Sol? You know how annoying it becomes after a while, don't you?"

"I've been listening since we were kids, Harley, and I'll always listen."

Harley met her eyes. She smiled, took his hand in hers, and looked back at the playground, remembering her own memories of them playing together when they were young.

"We may be growing up," she said, "but that doesn't mean everything has to change."

* * *

**"Something I Call Personality" – New Found Glory**

May growled. "You're so full of yourself!"

Drew brushed a bang from his eyes, smirking. "That's not really an original comeback, May."

"Oh, so now you're the expert on comebacks?"

"Of course. Losersaywhat?"

"…What?"

Drew grinned.

May's face fell with realization.

"You arrogant, son-of-a-!"

"May," Soledad called out from behind them, her tone rising with warning, "watch your mouth. I don't want to be blamed in case you go home with a vocabulary that's banned in over four regions."

Harley chuckled. "Oh, come on, hon. The girl could use some phrases that would put Drew in his place."

Soledad glared. "You're not helping!"

"Sol, they're teenagers, and they're rivals, and, more importantly, they secretly have the hots for one another, so of course they're gonna fight."

Drew looked at Harley out of the corner of his eye, frowning. "You're not aiming well in the originality factor either, Harley."

Shrugging, Harley placed an arm over Soledad's shoulders and grinned. "I'm just talking from experience, Drewbie."

Soledad's expression remained stern. "Harley, take it off, or I break it off."

Harley smiled sheepishly and removed his arm.

Ignoring the scene behind her, May stomped up to Drew's side. "You're still arrogant as hell."

"Please." Drew shook his head, his smirk still strong. "It's called a personality, May. Not my problem if you don't like it."

"You can be a very nice guy when you want to be," May said. "I like your personality, but I hate _this_ side of it. I don't like arguing because _you_ want to be an ass."

"I love you, too, May."

May rolled her eyes and walked ahead of him.

"Aw," Harley cooed. "A good ol' lover's quarrel. Don't you love it, Sol?"

"Harley?"

"Yeah, Sol?"

"Just shut up."

"Mmkay."


	3. rhapsody in flu

"Hey, Scooby-Drew! Guess who decided to check up on you!"

_Oh Arceus…_

Drew sunk deeper into his mattress. He wished a portal to another dimension would open up and swallow him whole, or a brawl between two legendaries would occur out of nowhere and smash the pokemon center to smithereens, killing him instantly. After all, anything was better than having to deal with-

"Me!" Harley burst in through the door, a grin on his face. He made his way over to Drew's bed, his eyes slightly darkening at the sight of said chartreuse-haired teenager buried beneath various blankets, where one covered him all the way up to his face, ending right before his bloodshot eyes. "Geeze, this flu thing really hit you hard, didn't it?"

Drew only grunted.

Harley sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Ah well. That's what you get for not getting your flu shot. If you had, you would be healthy right now, like me!"

_Oh yeah, you're healthy alright…_

But Drew held back from saying those words. If he insulted Harley, that would probably make him yell, which, in turn, would make Drew's headache worse.

"What are you doing here?" Drew asked, his voice making his throat burn.

"May and Soledad had an interview for some coordinating magazine," Harley said. "Of course, since you've been sick for the past few days, they both wanted to stay here to take care of you, but the interview wasn't really an opportunity they wanted to miss, either."

"So they left for it…"

Harley grinned again. "And I offered to stay here and watch you until they got back."

"…Why?"

"Because we're a family! We all agreed that we wouldn't move on to the next town unless all four of us were able to make the trip. I'm only living by the oath, honey."

Drew rolled his eyes. "How chivalrous of you. Are going to be able to resist plunging a knife into my chest while I'm sleeping?"

Harley gasped. "Drew! How can you accuse me of trying to perform such acts! I'm a changed man! Haven't you been paying attention?"

"I guess not."

"Well." Harley dragged a chair over from the other side of the room. He positioned it in front of Drew's bed and took a seat. "None of us are leaving this pokemon center until you feel better. Besides…" He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Soledad said that if I didn't make sure you were okay while she was gone, she would dissect me, place my internal organs into labeled baggies, and throw my body into a tree."

Drew blinked.

Harley smiled – though a sense of nervousness now flickered in his eyes. "So, I'm here to stay."

"I don't want your pity, and I definitely do not want to get in the way when it comes to the idea of Soledad murdering you."

"Ouch, my pride." Harley sighed and leaned back into his chair. "The way I see it, you got two choices. Choice one: You can deal with me staying here, so I can grab a bucket in time in case you gotta hurl or something. Or, choice two: I can leave and you can be by yourself, and if you have to hurl, you'll have to run out into the hall, face the dozens of people waiting around in the pokemon center's lobby, and probably vomit in front of them before you can even reach the bathroom at the other end, which will result with you having to pay for a carpet cleaner to clean up the stain it'll undoubtedly leave behind. Nurse Joy is nice, but even I think she wouldn't let you escape that kind of situation without consequence." He eyed Drew. "So, take your pick. What do you think is a better choice?"

Drew swallowed hard, his face pale. "I think…I'm gonna be sick."

"Uh-oh."

Harley grabbed the bucket he left by the door and rushed it over to Drew, who immediately leaned over his bed and vomited into it. When he was done, he fell back against his pillows, his arm over his eyes.

"Stomach pot pie," Harley said, grimacing when he accidentally glanced into the bucket. "Yummy."

He looked back at Drew, who shivered, despite the multiple blankets covering him.

"Yeah…I think your option's been chosen for you, hon."

* * *

"Okay, so a blonde and a brunette jump off a building. Who hits the ground first?"

"I don't know, Harley."

"The brunette! Because the blonde had to stop to ask for directions!"

Harley laughed.

Drew groaned, pulling one of his blankets over his head.

"Oh come on, Drew," Harley said, sobering. "Just because you're sick, it doesn't mean you have to be such a killjoy."

"Hn."

"Would you rather I tell you a scary story than another joke? I know tons! There's a few involving poltergeists, a few involving man-eating pokemon, and I have lots that involve those supernatural entities and stuff. Like, the Blair Mismagius or the Slender 'Mon."

Drew wanted nothing more but to get up and bang his head on the wall.

Harley frowned, noticing Drew's silence. "Nothing? There's gotta be something you want to do."

"Yes, I want to get better. The best way to do that is to get some sleep. The best way to do _that_ is for you to be quiet!"

Harley snorted. "Please, hon, you've been tossing and turning for the past two hours. It's obvious your body doesn't want to sleep."

Drew glared at Harley, his blanket back to covering everything below his eyes. "Are you sure Soledad really threatened to kill you? I'm starting to think you're 'watching' me just to annoy me."

"That was uncalled for, Drew."

"Yeah, well, if your annoyingness had a face, I would be punching it right now."

"That was even more uncalled for." Harley narrowed his eyes. "Soledad did ask me to watch you, and, with her being my best buddy and all, the least I can do is what she asks."

"So…she didn't really threaten you, is what you're trying to say?"

Harley crossed his arms. "You're part of our insane, little, four-member unit. Deny it all you want, but I don't like seeing any of you under the weather."

"That wasn't your philosophy when you still had that grudge with May and you kept on messing up her contest appeals."

"Hey, I did stupid things back then, I'll admit it. But, as I said, I'm a changed man now."

Drew grunted. "This is all for family, huh? I suppose the idea that doing Soledad a favor will get you closer to justify asking her out has nothing to do with it, right?"

Harley's smile fell, a blush on his face.

Drew sighed with content, snuggling deeper into his blankets.

_Finally. Silence._

But, said silence was broken as fast as it was made, when Drew's blankets were whisked off of him, leaving him to stare up at a glaring Harley.

"You want to be a smartass?" the man asked. "Fine." He dropped the blankets onto Drew's face, in which Drew struggled to escape from them so he could breathe. He watched Harley drag his chair over toward the top of the bed and sit down beside where his head would lay. "If you believe that sleep is going to make you better, then sleep. I'll be quiet. And," Harley added, transfixing Drew with a stern look, "I'll be here when you wake up. I'm not moving, because Soledad asked me to watch you. I'm not moving, because you're sick. I'm not moving, because even though you'll always be a twerp, you're still part of the family. Hate me all you want for what I did in the past, but I'm not going to let that stop me from caring."

With that, Harley crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair. He looked ahead, like a guardian, his expression just as determined.

Drew opened his mouth to retort, but he couldn't find anything to say. He stared at Harley for a while, before he mentally scolded himself and shook the thoughts away from his head. His eyes dark, he silently slipped back beneath his blankets, letting himself succumb to sleep.

* * *

When Drew woke up, the room was dark. Through the window close to his bed, he could see the dark blue in the sky – a symptom of the setting sun. He reached toward the nightstand beside his bed, grabbing his Pokegear, and highlighted its screen to check the time. It was almost six. He opened a text message he had recently received:

_Hey Drew –_

_May and I should be back at the pokemon center around 8 or so. I didn't know the interview would take so long to happen, so sorry for having to return so late. I'll stop on the way and get some medicine for you._

_See you soon!_

_Love,_

_Soledad_

_(PS: I hope Harley's been taking good care of you, or at least trying. Just hang in there, haha!)_

Drew looked to the side of his bed, expecting to find himself alone in the room. With the nitpicking he and Harley had thrown at one another earlier, Drew wouldn't be surprised if Harley had ditched.

But, instead of finding nothing, he saw a figure in the chair beside his bed. The figure's head was down, his shoulders rising and falling to the rhythm of sleep. The light from the hallway that bled in through the open door confirmed it was Harley.

_Wow._

Drew sat up, still staring at Harley.

_He really did stay…_

Quietly, Drew got up. Looking back at Harley one last time, he hummed thoughtfully and slipped out the door.

* * *

Harley stirred awake when Drew switched on the lamp on the nightstand.

"Huh, what happened?" the man mumbled, running his hand down his face, metallic blue-green eyes squinting from the sudden light.

"You fell asleep," Drew said, as if it was just a simple fact.

Harley looked around. "I did? Oh, oops."

"No big deal."

Drew sat down on the edge of his bed. He looked at Harley, handing over one of the mugs of tea he had made in the pokemon center's cafeteria. "Here."

Harley blinked, switching his eyes between the tea and Drew. Slowly, he took it, watching as steam rose from the liquid.

"Don't worry," Drew said, rolling his eyes, "it's not poisoned. I wouldn't stoop to your level."

"Hey-"

"Relax. I'm kidding."

Harley arched an eyebrow. "About the tea being poisoned or the accusation that I would use poison?"

"Just drink the tea."

Harley shrugged and took a sip of it. "Why'd you make a cup for me?"

Drew shrugged, sipping at his own mug. "It's the least I can do. Because…" He mumbled something.

"Because what?"

Drew sighed with frustration. "Because you were right, okay? It wasn't right for me to be so judgmental on you just because of what happened in the past. Despite whatever reason you watched out for me today, you actually watched out for me instead of running off. I guess that should say a lot on its own."

"Wow." Harley smiled. "A compliment from the great Drew? And for me, no less! That must've taken a lot to admit."

"It did. I'm not going to say it again."

Harley pouted.

"But," Drew added, awkwardly shuffling weight between his shoulders, "I will say…thanks."

"No problem, Scooby-Drew."

"Stop calling me that."

Harley giggled and went back to drinking his tea.

Drew rolled his eyes again and raised his mug to his lips, glad that it was able to hide the smile that had crossed his face.


	4. heart songs, part 2

**"Clockwork" – Autopilot Off**

Drew rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you're _scared_."

May glared. She wanted to say, "I am not!" and maybe something else that, for once, would leave Drew at a loss for words.

But, instead, she sighed, her brows loosening. She looked out the window, watching the clouds that crossed the sky. They obscured the sun, though that didn't stop its light from trying to shine through.

Drew frowned. He saw the distant look in May's eyes. His voice grew quieter, softer: "There's nothing to be scared of, May."

"It's just…I'm finally being recognized as a top coordinator."

As if to prove a point, May grabbed the magazine and slid it across the table to him.

Drew stopped it with his hand, glancing at its cover, seeing her picture on it, and the words. Those words. 'The Top Coordinator of Hoenn' they said. Those were the very words May had spent the past years trying to achieve, and they were finally hers, long before he could even gain such acknowledgement.

He wasn't jealous. They were rivals in coordinating, but he was happier for her than anything else. After all, beyond rivals, they were friends, so seeing her sitting across from him as if those words she worked so hard for had been given to someone else…

"What's wrong with that?" he finally asked, her prior words lingering in his head.

She blinked, breaking from her trance once more. "I'm worried about what happens next. Are people going to want more from me? Expect more? What if I can't deliver what they want? What if I lose this title in a week, a month, what if I let them all down – the people who think I deserve this?" She closed her eyes. "You're right, Drew, I am scared."

Drew shook his head. "You can't be sure of that."

"Sure of what?"

"You can't be sure of what will happen in the future. You can't sit here and worry about it. You used to do that, remember? It showed in your coordinating, which made you falter in your appeals."

May looked away from the sky, from the clouds, from the sun. The pokemon center was practically empty, though the Nurse Joy assigned at the front desk kept glancing their way, as if a celebrity had originally walked in through the doors and she was fighting herself from rushing over to ask for an autograph.

"How can you be so sure that I shouldn't worry?" she asked, looking back at Drew, meeting his emerald, dragon-like eyes. "You've always seemed so certain of things, even back when we first met. How can you be so…sure?"

Drew shrugged. "If I don't know what's going to happen, why should I be scared? I know I can't stop time from passing, I can't stop the future from coming, but I can take a hold of it, tackle whatever it throws at me, and hope for the best."

"Hope for the best…" May said. She hummed thoughtfully. "I've told myself that a lot of times, but, here, now, with all of this, I can't bring myself to do it again."

Drew smiled an assuring smile. "Maybe it's just because you're under a lot of pressure, and you are. That, I agree with you on, but I also know you can't live scared over things you're not even certain about. Besides," he added, "I'll…be here, you know. Even if everything crashes down around you, I'll help the best I can to get you out of the rubble."

May met his eyes. She saw the warmth in them. She smiled, too. "Thanks, Drew."

"No prob. I got your back, May, and I'll always have it." He smirked. "_That's_ something I happen to know for certain."

* * *

**"I Can't See Myself" – Valencia**

"I'm…sorry."

May stopped. She looked back at Harley, eyes widened. "W-what?"

The man shuffled weight between his shoulders, awkward, tense. "I'm sorry, May, for all those things I did to you back then, when you were starting out." He sighed. "I thought, now that we've been through – what, half of Johto? – together, I think it's time I need to say it."

May opened her mouth, but no words came. She looked at the ground, her eyes darkening. "Harley…"

Drew and Soledad, oblivious to the conversation, or the fact that Harley and May had even stopped, continued along the road, chatting about the next contest. Harley preferred it that way. It had been hard enough mustering up the courage to pull May to the side in the first place.

"You're a great coordinator," he said, "even if I didn't want to believe it at first. You were amazing at the Wallace Cup, and you were amazing even before that." He smiled weakly. "So…can we call an official truce now?"

If Drew had heard any of this, May knew that he would've told her to be cautious. An apology was rare from Harley, and, considering the past, was more likely to be a scheme in disguise than an actual expression of emotion. Though Harley had been fair since they crossed the halfway mark of their Johto coordinating tour, it didn't stop the possibilities that malicious intent was in the air.

"If you don't want to believe me," Harley said, seeing the hesitance in May's eyes, "I understand. Sometimes, I don't even understand why I get so…you know, jealous and stuff. Not to mention I-"

His voice stopped, as he felt a pair of arms slide around him. He looked down, seeing May's emerald-colored bandanna, the said teenager laying her head against his chest. Her embrace was warm; it felt nice against the chilly air of the evening. He hadn't even noticed her come forward, too worried about her reaction to his words to see the reality beyond.

But, now, May was embracing him, of all things she could've done.

"It's okay, Harley," she said. She tilted her head, still on his chest, so her sapphire eyes met his metallic blue-green ones. "I forgive you."

Tears pressed against the back of Harley's eyes. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey, May, Harley, you coming?"

Drew's voice echoed from down the path. May and Harley separated, and May tossed one last smile at Harley before she turned and ran to catch up with her other rivals.

Harley stood there, exhaling slowly. Then, he smiled, and moved ahead to follow May, Soledad, and Drew.

* * *

**"Mugs Away" – Seven Nations**

Drew swallowed. "Uh, I'm not so sure about this."

Harley grinned. "Oh, come on, Drew. You're twenty-one as of tonight – the legal drinking age for the Hoenn region."

He pushed the glass of whiskey toward Drew, who took it, staring at the yellowish-brown liquid inside.

"Bottoms up," Harley said, pouring his own glass. "Now that you can drink, we can sit at bars and get some bromance going. We can have conversations about coordinating, or pokemon we've seen, or how complicated politics is getting. You know, all that stuff usual bar buddies talk about."

"Ya-huh, and you can't do all this stuff with Soledad because…?"

Harley frowned. "She's too busy. And she doesn't like bars. She says they smell funny."

Drew sniffed the air. He made a face. "Can't say I blame her."

"Come on, Scooby-Drew! You only get to live once! And you're seriously too serious for your own good."

Drew opened his mouth to retort, perhaps throw out one of those statistics he read about in magazines, which explained how many famous coordinators had lost their careers to drinking. And bar fights.

But…

He looked at the drink.

He sighed.

"One drink, Harley, nothing more."

Harley grinned again. "Okie-dokie!" He raised his glass. "Mugs away, then?"

Drew rolled his eyes and brought his glass to his lips.

"Mugs away."


	5. silence is golden

**AN: **A small Har/Sol piece, for Nostalgia's My Best Friend.

* * *

If there was anything that intimidated Soledad – Grand Champion of the Kanto Grand Festival and the Official Coordinator of Pewter City (for three years in a row) – it was silence.

Awkward, tense, silence.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock._

She looked up at the clock on the wall. Ten minutes had passed.

No, wait, eleven minutes.

Her eyes dropped to Harley, who sat next to her on the edge of the bed. She saw the darkness in his gaze, the firmness in his jaw, the stiffness in his shoulders.

She swallowed. Hard.

"Harley, I-"

Harley shook his head, and, for the first time in those eleven minutes (no, wait, twelve minutes) since she had pulled him halfway through the pokemon center and into an empty bedroom, he met her eyes.

He opened his mouth, repeating what was said twelve minutes (no, wait, thirteen minutes) ago.

"You're...in love with me?"

Soledad inhaled, slowly. "Yes."

"Oh."

Harley averted his eyes and coughed into his hand – an awkward cough, to make up for the silence that had slipped in between them once again.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock._

After all, it wasn't every day when your friend of twenty-something years confessed to you that she was in love with you. The thirteen minutes of awkward silence was somewhat justified.

...No, wait, fourteen minutes.

Harley sighed, as if trying to calm himself.

Soledad looked at him, her eyes wet. "If you don't...love me back, it's alright. It's just that with all we've been through, I-"

"It's okay."

Soledad blinked. She met Harley's eyes, which now glowed, a small smile on his face.

"It's...okay?"

"Yeah, Sol. It's okay."

Soledad swallowed again. "That's...nice to know?"

More silence.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock._

"Because...uh..." Harley shifted.

"Because...?"

"I sort of – I mean – I sort of am...in love with you, too."

"Oh..."

"Yeah."

Harley smiled – a full smile. "So, hon, is this the part where we let our long-awaited feelings for each other go wild, leading us to have hot, passionate sex?"

Soledad rolled her eyes. "No." She slid closer to him, laying her head against his chest. She inhaled, taking in his scent, letting it wash away that nervousness from before. She smirked. "Not yet, at least."

Harley chuckled. "I can wait."

Soledad closed her eyes.

And the silence that followed wasn't nearly as awkward–

"Soledad?" Drew's voice called, his form in the open doorway. He looked at Harley, saw his arms around Soledad – and he growled.

Yeah. Never mind.


	6. go to sleep

"Drew?"

"What, May?"

"...I can't sleep."

Drew sighed and rolled over to his back. Darkness filled the room, save for the silvery light of the moon that bled in through the window, the reddish glow of the digital clock on the nightstand, and the radiance of the hallway's lights that slipped in under the door, spreading along the lower wall. He heard his absol snore, stretched out across the carpeted floor, the moonlight glinting off the blade that protruded from his head.

The bed creaked – as May turned to face Drew, propping her head up with her elbow.

"And why can't you sleep?" Drew asked.

"I dunno."

He looked at her. The intruding lights shaped her figure within the shadows, her sapphire-colored eyes as bright as the lights themselves. "It's two in the morning," he said, with a tone just short of a growl.

"Well, you're not tired."

"You've woken me up three times already." He snorted. "I knew Nurse Joy sticking us in _one_ room with _one_ bed would be a bad idea."

"But, the pokemon center was out of rooms."

"Only because Harley and Soledad went with their own rooms, instead of sharing. It makes more sense for them to share than us – they've had sleepovers since they were kids! But no. I gotta sleep with the noctowl over here!"

May glared. "Sometimes I get a bit of insomnia! You're snoring doesn't help!"

Drew's face fell. "Snoring! I don't snore!"

"Ya-huh. Right." May rolled away from him, until she was on her side of the bed and he was on his, their territories separated from a line of pillows and blankets. "Keep telling yourself that, but you'll wake up half of the pokemon center when you fall back asleep!"

"I would fall back asleep," Drew hissed, "if you would stop waking me up!"

"Well-" May stumbled. "Your mother is a swinub and your father smells of liechi berries!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Shut up, I'm trying to sleep."

Drew opened his mouth to retort, but he said nothing. Instead, he shook his head, closed his eyes, and fell back asleep.

Ten minutes later, he jolted awake when something slipped over his chest. He tilted his head, looked down, and saw May, who snuggled closer to him, her arm tight around his torso. She sighed with content, her head right below his chin, oblivious to her movements, following only the actions of her dreams.

Her dreams.

He swallowed.

As her warmth circulated through him, getting rid of that cold feeling that had lingered even when the comforter covered him, he felt...at peace. Slowly, he pulled her closer, leaned his cheek against the top of her head, and he closed his eyes again.

He smiled.

* * *

When morning poured in through the window, coaxing May awake, she didn't want to get up. For some reason, the bed felt five times warmer than it did last night. A relaxing sense of security she didn't want to break, a key to the insomnia she had feared would ruin the day ahead.

She looked up – and paused when she saw Drew's face, calm with the rhythm of slumber.

Easing out of his arms, May sat up. Her heat hammered against her chest, but she it settled it when she realized that Drew hadn't woken to her movements. Beyond the side of the bed, Absol stared at her with sly eyes, his teeth visible in a grin that obviously caged in a chuckle.

May met his gaze with a glare. "Quiet, you."

Absol dropped his look, swallowed hard, and lowered his head.

May exhaled, looked back at Drew, and grinned her own grin. She leaned forward and kissed Drew on the area right beside his mouth, only spurring a sigh from him. Then, she got up, motioned Absol to follow her, and led him out the door and toward the cafeteria for breakfast.


	7. watching

**AN: **Another May/Drew short, though this one is kind of proof that not all the oneshots in this collection are going to be hakuna matata.

* * *

She watches him.

He's training with his roserade, working on new appeals for the upcoming contest. The air around him sparkles with remnants of the different combinations already performed, colliding with the sunlight in the air, glowing within the trees the soft breeze guides them into and amongst the training ground where they land.

Even with how they're supposed to clash like fire and water on a coordinating stage, he had invited her to watch his new appeals and offer advice or comments.

Because though they're rivals, they're friends in some way, too.

But, it's ironic. Because she's not watching his appeals. She's watching him, like she's been watching him the past few contests. And, as she watches him, the rest of the park seems to melt away, leaving only her, him, and the little distance between them.

She looks at his face, the determination that darkens the emerald hues in his eyes as he focuses on his roserade. He's lean, his clothes hugging his body, fitting and moving with him perfectly, with every gesture for an attack, and he's as vivid as how he always looks when he's on the actual stage, performing in front of hundreds. She looks at his hair, chartreuse in the light, shining, his bangs moving to hang in front of his eyes. He breathes through his mouth, sweat building along his neck from the outside heat, and the corners of his lips twitching upward in the form of a smirk. His voice is smooth when he calls orders to his roserade, the sparkles of the past combinations clinging to his clothes.

And she wonders.

She wonders what his eyes would look like, if they were dark like that and focused on her like they're focused on the task at hand. She wonders how his body would shape against hers, his arms around her. She wonders what his hair would feel like, if it's really as soft as it looks. She wonders if those small bouts of sweat on his neck is what makes his skin glisten, or if his breath is hot as he exhales through his mouth, or if that smirk could be as hungry as it is arrogant, or if his voice is that smooth on a regular basis.

And, for a second, she imagines herself gazing into his eyes, running her fingers through his hair, pushing her mouth to his, tasting his sweat and feeling his breath and smelling his scent and hearing him call out her name beneath her touch. She imagines him looking at her, with that dark gaze, soft hair, glistening skin, hot breath, hungry smirk, and smooth voice – everything that's him, everything that can tear away that rich teenager facade, the teenager everyone else knows, and make him look like an outlaw, the dragon only she can see.

She imagines him looking at her like that, and she imagines him wanting her just like she wants him.

"May?"

She blinks, and, suddenly, the park exists again. She looks up and meets his eyes, as he stands over her, a concerned expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asks. "It looks like you dozed off for a second..."

She swallows, before she forgets how to breathe. Or speak. "I'm okay," she says, she _lies._

"Oh. Well, what'd you think of the appeal? You can tell me the truth, you know."

She wants to tell him what she really thinks, what she really wants, but...

"It was good," she says.

"Just good?" He chuckles, with his usual cockiness that, for once, only reminds her of that rugged outlaw, that beautiful dragon. "I'll see what you really think at the contest tomorrow, then."

And he leaves, and she's all alone in the park, and she falls back against the bench, and she tries not to cry, tries to convince herself that these feelings can be justified, and requited.

But she knows that what she wants, she's not supposed to have.

Because though they're friends in some way, they're rivals, too.


	8. heart songs, part 3

"**You Get What You Give" - New Radicals**

May looked up at the screen, which displayed the pictures of the coordinators who had passed the contest's appeal round and would continue on to the semifinals.

Her picture wasn't with them.

She sighed, her eyes dark.

Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She blinked and turned her head.

Drew handed her a thornless rose, its petals a warm red, and he smiled softly.

May took the rose – and she suddenly found herself smiling with him.

* * *

"**Good Life" - OneRepublic**

"Wow, the view sure is good from here!"

Drew watched May grin at the sight of Goldenrod City. Though it was still a few miles away, its structures shined against the night sky – towers of blue and gold, radiating with the stars like wildfire.

He arched a brow. "Weren't you just worried about the upcoming contest a second ago?"

"A little." May shrugged. "But, right here, right now...I don't know. It just feels like a place to forget your troubles."

Harley ruffled Drew's hair affectionately. "May's got a point, Scooby-Drew. We're together, aren't we? We should cherish the free times we have with one another."

"Since when did you become the family man?" Drew asked, as he straightened out his hair. "And don't call me Scooby-Drew."

Soledad smiled. "On the road, just the four of us. Yeah, it does seem like a good life, doesn't it?"

"True that!" Harley pulled Soledad and May into a hug, with Drew stuck in the middle. "Life is good! Right, Scooby-Drew?"

"Don't call me that!"

Harley, Soledad, and May laughed, while Drew rolled his eyes, trying to hide his own smile.

* * *

"**Boys of Summer" - Don Henley**

"It didn't work out?"

Soledad turned. Harley stood in the doorway, his eyes dark with concern. She tightened her fingers around the phone in her hand, but she managed to hold back the urge to throw it at the nearby wall. "No..." she said, amazed that she could hold back the frustration from her tone, too. "He wasn't interested in staying with someone who has a 'travel-heavy career'."

Harley smiled weakly. "He's missing out, then."

Soledad chuckled. "Well, he was just a guy I met last summer, and we've only just been trying the relationship thing for the past few weeks. But..." She put the phone on the desk. "So much for that."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Oh yeah." She met Harley's eyes, as he walked over to her side. "To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting much to happen out of it, either."

"I see..."

She chuckled again. "Remember those summers when we were young teenagers? Our careers were just starting out, but, damn, I had a lot of relationships like this one that ended as fast as they began. Even up to now, I guess I just haven't found the right one yet."

Harley swallowed. "Um, Sol, I have something I've been wanting to tell you..."

She looked at him. "Yeah?"

He hesitated. "I...I just..." He sighed. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll always be here for you, for all those summer relationships you might, you know, need a shoulder to cry on because of. Like I've always been there for you, in the past. Or something." He grimaced. "That sounded really corny."

"It's okay. Thanks, Harley." She kissed his cheek. "But, my night just became free. So...you up to doing something?"

Harley grinned.


	9. passing minutes

She's pushed into the closet. The door shuts behind them. Through the darkness, his lips brush her neck. His scent fills her nose. She bites back a gasp, as his hands travel up her legs and into her skirt.

"The contest is in" – a moan escapes this time – "two minutes."

He chuckles, his breath hot against her skin, his sultry voice making her knees weak. "Our round isn't until another hour, though, Soledad."

"Harley-"

Any further protest is stopped with his mouth on hers. She kisses him back, her fingers entangling themselves in his hair. His thighs are around her waist. Her back is against the wall. Their bodies move together. Nothing else is said.

After all, an hour isn't something to be wasted with words.


	10. it's a lie

**AN: **Just a quick note that I do take oneshot ideas. If you have something pertaining to May, Drew, Soledad, and/or Harley that you would like to see written, throw it at me.

That said, enjoy this one.

* * *

May blinked. "Uh, what is it?"

Drew looked back at the counter. "What do you mean 'what is it'?" He furrowed his brows. "It's a cake!"

"That's...that's a cake?"

The supposed "cake" sat on top of the counter, swelled and burnt and smelling faintly of overcooked chocolate. It looked like something an oven would vomit if said oven magically had a stomach and instinct to do so. Even with the icing sitting in an unopened tin beside it, May figured there wasn't much that could be done to save the cake. Physical appearances didn't matter when it came to what was inside, after all.

...Now she was comparing a burnt, swelled cake to everyday life. The scent of overcooked chocolate must have been getting to her.

Or maybe it was the scent of fear sweating off Drew's pride.

The said green-haired teenager swallowed, suddenly appearing very self-conscious and afraid to look back at the monstrosity he'd baked. "Well, I was never much of a cook. I tried to follow the instructions on the back of the box, but, you know, it doesn't really work well when the instructions are written in another language."

May blinked again. "Why'd you try to bake a cake anyway?"

"...For you."

"Pardon? For me?"

"Yes." Drew looked away. "It's your birthday soon, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but..." She held back a smile. "You remembered?"

"Of course. I know this will be your first birthday away from Ash, Brock, Max, and your parents. So, consider this a rescue from what would've been a loss." Drew turned toward the cake and grimaced. "Though, not the same could be said for my dignity."

May chuckled. She stepped closer to Drew and embraced him. "Thank you. And," she added, eyeing him sheepishly, "for future reference, it's alright if you just buy a cake from the store. I'm not picky."

"Nah, you're worth the effort."

She nuzzled him affectionately. "Always nice to know."

He laughed and held her close.

"But...Drew?"

"Hm?"

"We don't have to...eat it, right?"

"Nope."


	11. hey there, denial

**AN:** A short piece to show people I'm not dead. Requests will be tackled in the next few chapters.

* * *

"You care about her."

Drew blinked. "Wait, what?"

Soledad grinned. "You care about her. That's why you've been acting so weird over the past few days. You really do care about May."

"As a friend," Drew said, tossing the magazine he had been reading back onto the table. The lobby of the pokemon center bustled with life, yet he and Soledad were the only ones who occupied the set of chairs and sofas that consisted the center's small waiting space.

"Don't lie to me."

"As a friend," Drew said again, slower and with more emphasis. Then, he crossed one leg over the other and closed his eyes, his demeanor calm. "Rivals can be friends, can't they?"

"Yeah, but" – Soledad leaned forward in her chair, a soft smile spreading across her face – "rivals can also be more than friends."

Drew snorted. "Please. I get enough of this stuff from Harley."

"Well, do you hate May?"

"What? Why would I hate May? I don't hate May."

"So, you like her?"

"As a friend."

"Let's say May had an important dance to go to, but no one asked her out. Would you take her to the dance?"

"As a friend."

"Would you comfort her if she was crying?"

"As a friend."

"Would you laugh with her if she was happy?"

"As a friend."

"Would you protect her with your life?"

"_As a friend_."

"Would you hold her close if she was cold?"

"As. A. Friend."

"Drew, you're blushing."

Drew hesitated – and finally realized how warm his face felt. "Arceus damn it, Soledad, will you stop with these stupid questions?"

"No." Soledad grinned again. "Not until May gets here, at least."

"Soledad-"

"Do you love her?"

"...As a friend, Soledad."

"Fine, fine." Soledad stood up. "I'll leave you alone." She looked back at him. "By the way, you're blushing again."

Drew stifled a groan and sunk into his seat.


	12. it's not a lie

**AN: **I'm still here. Somewhat. And I love how, during my return, I realize tons of stuff has changed. Story covers? Moderating anon reviews? Meh, go with the flow, I guess.

Anyway, here's when we start tackling reviewer suggestions, with the first one being from my honored friend, DL, who said: "The group surprising Drew with a birthday party."

Unfortunately, I was interested in tackling the "only dialogue" format for this one, and, to avoid confusion, Harley and Soledad do not appear. But, this probably won't be the only time I do a topic like this, because we all know there ain't no party like a Harley party 'cause a Harley party don't stop!

...or something.

* * *

"_Surprise_!"

"Holy crap! Er, I mean, what's this?"

"Happy birthday, Drew!"

"Birthday? Wait, whoa. My room is covered with balloons."

"And streamers!"

"May, why are they all pink?"

"The store was out of green."

"So you got me pink?"

"Yeah!"

"There weren't any other colors? Like blue, or red, or yellow?"

"What? You don't like pink?"

"It's not something I would choose on the forefront-"

"Don't be sexist, Drew."

"Sexist? Who said I was being sexist?"

"You think pink is only for girls, don't you?"

"What? No I don't! I just don't favor the color, that's all. It's kind of blinding actually. My eyes hurt-"

"The cake delivery people should be here anytime soon!"

"-and I'm starting to get a headache. Wait, a cake?"

"Yeah, vanilla and strawberry!"

"...I'm allergic to strawberries."

"You are?"

"Yeah..."

"Oh."

"Mhm."

"Then I guess I should call the bakery and order something else."

"Really, May, you shouldn't go through all this trouble-"

"I know we've been rivals for a few years now, and I've never seen you celebrate your birthday."

"Well, that's because-"

"It's sad. I know you try to act all cool, Drew, but c'mon! It's your birthday."

"May, I-"

"You should be able to eat all the cake you want without having to worry about getting fatter!"

"You think I'm fat-?"

"And you should be able to wear funny hats and dance and laugh and be the Drew I know you truly are!"

"May, seriously-"

"And I wanted to do something special for you. You tried to make that cake for me for my last birthday-"

"Please don't remind me of that abomination of cuisine-"

"-which smelled like old cheese and tasted like vomit-"

"Do you really have to be so elaborate? You're hurting my pride here-"

"-and even though we ended up giving it to Harley, who scarfed it down without realizing the horrible food poisoning it would give him the next day-"

"Pride dying. Pride dead. Pride having a funeral."

"-I appreciated it, because you made it for me, when you didn't have to."

"...you don't owe me anything, May. We're friends, you know. Friends do that kind of stuff. Besides, my journeys through Johto...they would be boring if you weren't here. So...in a way...you...uh..."

"Yeah, Drew?"

"You make things out here tolerable, let's just say that."

"Aw, Drew!"

"And now you're hugging me. That's grand."

"Eee! Drew!"

"Choking, not breathing!"

"Oh, whoops! Sorry!"

"It's alright. But, May, I have to be honest with you. My birthday isn't for another two months."

"..."

"..."

"I...sorry, Drew! Oh my Arceus! And I got all these balloons and made this big mess! I guess I was so paranoid of missing your birthday I forgot when it actually was. Oh, Arceus. I'll clean this up right away!"

"May-"

"It's okay if you're mad, Drew. I'm so stupid sometimes!"

"May-"

"I lost track of time-"

"May!"

"...yeah, Drew?"

"Thank you."

"What?"

"Thank you. For doing this. And...you're right. It's not every day I get to be just a teenager instead of the usual 'Drew the Famous Coordinator'. So, I'm going to put on this birthday hat here – oh hey look, it's got little dragons on it – and I'm going to celebrate my birthday two months early, with my rival - slash - best friend."

"Drew..."

"Now, where are the video games? I feel like shooting zombies."

"Your Xbox is somewhere...down there."

"In the balloons?"

"Yeah."

"I guess we better start looking. And maybe we should find the TV while we're at it."

"Good idea. And Drew?"

"Hm?"

"Happy early birthday."

"Thanks, May."

* * *

**AN: **Considering Nintendo consoles exist in the Pokemon world, it's funny to assume their competitors exist as well. Even though they're not mentioned, for obvious reasons.


	13. shoop da woop miltanks

**AN: **While I concoct something for Gwen's request, here's a chapter somewhat inspired by a conversation between my boyfriend and I. As for the chapter title...it'll make sense when you find the right sentence. I don't know. Frankly, it's evidence of my sleeping meds kicking in.

* * *

"I am _not _a morning person."

Soledad didn't look up from her newspaper, though her brow arched in what someone would say was a sarcastic attempt at skepticism. "Really?"

"Yeah," Harley mumbled. He opened his mouth, as if to say something else, but only yawned.

Then his forehead preceded to slam against the dining table quite suddenly.

Soledad, her eyes still on a semi-interesting article involving UFOs, missing miltanks, and a man stranded in a cornfield without any pants, simply grabbed her mug of coffee so it wouldn't spill. The contact between Harley's head and the table sounded like it had hurt, but Soledad didn't look up – definitely when Harley emitted a loud snore. When he started to slide off his chair, Soledad reached out, her eyes still on her paper, and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back into position.

He jolted at that, looking around as if a bomb had just gone off. "Who, what, where-?!"

"It's strange," Soledad said, nonchalant, still not looking at him. "You're usually up before the rest of us. You seem like a morning person to everyone."

"That is not true," Harley said, his words slurring. Though he was completely dressed in his usual cacturne-themed outfit and his hair was somewhat straight, the dark bags under his eyes broke any sense of wits about him. "May and Drew aren't up yet!"

"That's because they were making out all night long."

Harley blinked. "They were?"

Soledad shrugged, now reading an article about how the man with no pants from the previous article was claiming he was a time traveler from the future looking for a suitable pokemon trainer to bring back to the future to battle an armada of aliens who were threatening to destroy the world with mind-controlled miltanks that shot laser beams from their udders. "I dunno, were they?"

"Hmph." Harley looked away. "If you think I was up all night watching if those two little love birds would finally admit their undying love for one another, then you're wrong."

"You said it, not me."

Harley's face fell. "I did not spend the night doing that-!"

"No, because stories on why you're half-asleep on these mornings you wake up claiming you're not a morning person are usually more interesting than this."

"Yes," Harley said, pointing at Soledad, "_they are_. And, in fact, my reason for staying up so late last night was justified." He paused, and then added: "And _most _definitely interesting."

"Can't guarantee it beats this story," Soledad muttered from her paper.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said louder, turning the page. "Continue with your most definite interesting tale of why you were up so late last night."

"Thank you. I was laying there in my bed, sleeping, when" – Harley stood up dramatically – "the great Arceus appeared in my room, shining with the light of a thousand suns, and you know what he said?"

"'Harley, you must go to the Dagobah system'?"

Harley glared. "No! He said" – Harley deepened his voice – "'Harley, a great evil is about to consume the land! You must save the world with your epic sword-fighting skills and powerful pokemon.'"

"...You have sword-fighting skills?"

"Yes."

Soledad hummed. "It's safe to assume the only skill you have with a sword is with your own."

A deep blush spread across Harley's face. "Soledad!"

"What? I'm being realistic."

"No," Harley said, his brows furrowing, "you just don't believe me."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I doubt Arceus would stretch that single sentence to last an entire night, so what else happened?"

Harley crossed his arms. "You don't even sound remotely interested, Sol."

"Of course I'm interested. You just don't let anything get in the way of your beauty sleep, so I'm curious."

"And so you believe me?"

"Still a hit-or-miss."

Harley groaned. "I cannot recite my epic tale with such a dull audience!"

"At least you're awake now."

Harley stopped and blinked. "Huh, I guess I am."

"You're welcome."

With a snort, Harley strode out of the room and toward what Soledad presumed to be the pokemon center's cafeteria for breakfast.

Seconds later, Drew appeared, stretching and yawning. "Morning."

"Morning," Soledad said, taking a sip of her coffee, still reading the paper. "May still asleep?"

"Yeah." Drew walked over and sat down across from Soledad. He looked at the hallway, and then back at Soledad. "I saw Harley walk by on my way here. He looked pissed. What happened?"

"He's just mad I didn't believe his 'epic' reasoning as to why he was up half the night."

Drew frowned. "'Epic reasoning'? My room was right next to his. I heard him talking to himself on how he was going to admit his undying love for you someday. Over and over and over. Almost kept me up half the night, too."

Soledad slowly raised her paper, to hide the redness in her face. "Really?" she managed to say with that same nonchalant tone. "He told me Arceus visited him in a vision to entrust with him the task of saving the world from an upcoming evil that threatens to consume us all. With his sword."

"Harley? Saving the world?" Drew rolled his eyes. "If that's true and I was just hearing things last night, then we're all doomed."

"Nah, I rather believe what you heard."

Drew arched a brow. "Why?"

The newspaper hid the soft smile that spread across Soledad's face.

"It's _much_ more interesting."


	14. a rival and a movie, part 1

**AN: **Following Gwen's request for seeing one of May's rivals in one of the movies, we begin a mini series similar to the Shuffle set that will consist of different scenes from different movies with one or more of May's rivals included. (I figured doing the whole movie would just warrant its own fic.) That said, the first scene we are using is the "This Side of Paradise" scene from _Destiny Deoxys!..._starring Drew.

* * *

Purple and pink mixed together in an amazing display across the night sky over LaRousse City. May had never seen an aurora so close, yet the waves of bright colors that danced with the stars above made her feel inspired, as if she had been watching it all her life.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

May turned her head. "Drew?"

The chartreuse-haired coordinator walked up, leaning against the railing right beside her. Down below, on the grassy fields, May's younger brother, Max, ran with their pokemon around the playground, passing Ash and Tory, who conversed on the swing set. The city's lights were lit like fire, but they were dimmed in comparison to the aurora.

"We don't get many auroras around here," Drew said, his brow arched.

"LaRousse is your home," May said, reciting the information she had learned from him earlier, ignoring the awkward feeling in her stomach from being so close to her rival. "You've never seen another one like this?"

Drew shrugged. "Nope. That's probably why Rebecca is skeptical," he added, throwing a nod toward the woman who sat on a bench near the playground, studying the colorful phenomenon with her laptop. "It's ironic. For most of my life, before I went out on my pokemon journey, I was surrounded by these tall skyscrapers and these 'spectacular examples of the future's technology' – as the vacation magazines said about this place – and the one sense of natural beauty we actually get for the first time in a long time, everyone's stopping and wondering what's causing it, instead of actually enjoying it."

"I'm curious, too." May swallowed. "About what's causing it, I mean. But I also get what you're saying, about enjoying it and all." She paused, before continuing: "Drew, why did you come back? To LaRousse?"

Drew brushed a bang from his eyes, smirking. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, from what you just said, you don't seem too impressed with this place."

"It's not exactly my idea of a paradise," he said. "Sure, it's got trees and grass and all that stuff, but, in the end, it's always going to be one of the top technological centers of the world. I left, because it just wasn't the place for me. I wanted to be a coordinator to create beauty, the beauty of nature, and I wanted to create that beauty by using pokemon, nature's creatures. Computers, buildings, machines...none of it can recreate that beauty – nothing will ever beat seeing the actual world and what it can do, what it can make, what it has to offer us all."

"I...uh..."

"Hm?" Drew looked at May.

"This is the first time you've really opened up to me."

"My past isn't a secret I keep in the closet. Besides, it's a beautiful night out. Perfect time for some deep conversations."

May had to smile at that. "You still didn't tell my why you came back, though."

"I was homesick. Got here early, taking a nice stroll downtown. Next thing I know, I see your friend, Ash, over there trying to walk up a down moving sidewalk. I could definitely tell he hadn't been here before." Drew turned back to the city before him, eyeing the aurora that hovered above it. "And I also knew that you were traveling with him."

"Well, it's been nice, having you with us." May smiled again. "And not a single arrogant comment, either."

"As if I would remind you that you need to get better at coordinating on such a beautiful night."

May's face fell. "...And it's back."

Drew chuckled. "Come on. We better get back to the party."

May nodded and left. Drew moved to follow her, but he stopped for a moment, to look back at the aurora that still flashed across the sky.

"_That_ is strange, though," he muttered.


	15. run along with captain jack

**AN:** This one was somewhat inspired by the dance scene in _Little Miss Sunshine_. The song referenced in this chapter is "Captain Jack (Peacecamp Mix)", as that mixed in better than "Super Freak".

* * *

"Babe, this party's, like, _boring_."

"Please, sweetie, can you just try to have a good time? Coordinating is my career. You said you'd support me."

"You, like, never said anything about boring parties, babe. This is, like, totally bogus."

Drew sighed, his fingers tapping against his glass of fruit punch. The argument between the well-dressed lady and the man who was completely opposite – as Drew had glanced over his shoulder when they started debating at the table behind him and noticed how the woman looked like Cinderella and the man resembled an aipom in a tux – sounded loud with the man's quite accurate "surfer dude" accent, even with how they both tried to whisper.

The ball room in which the annual Coordinator's Celebration took place was as formal as formal can be, with beautiful gowns, tuxedos, and styled pokemon conversing at tables and along the snack and drink bars, mixing right in with the professional, bright atmosphere of the white streamers and banners across the walls. A reunion, for coordinators to gather and discuss their lives and contests they participated in, and a place for the more better ones to be acknowledged in skill and style by official judges. Despite the many coordinators that had appeared, the party had already gone on for two hours, and much of the crowd had diminished for the night. The stage in the front of the room, not far from Drew's table, where coordinators would normally dance or impress their rivals with pokemon appeals now stood barren, with a small CD reader playing some sort of opera music through two large speakers right beside it. It sounded worn, like the waiting music someone would play when they put you on hold over the phone.

Drew wasn't much for parties. At least not big ones like this. The only reason he had come here in the first place was for his own rivals, and the only reason he stayed was because May wouldn't let him leave when Harley was snockered off his ass.

"Soledad," Harley slurred from across the round table, nearly spilling his seventh glass of wine all over his disheveled tuxedo, "have I ever told you how pretty you are?"

Seated at the same table, Soledad rolled her eyes and leaned back against her chair. Her light orange dress, which glittered in the overhead lights, brought out the bluish-green hues in her eyes. "For the hundredth time this night, Harley. I think you've had enough alcohol."

"Says who?"

"The toilet you'll undoubtedly be vomiting in to come morning."

Harley scoffed. "Oh, come on, Sol. Have some fun." He swayed his glass more, almost tipping it onto May, who also sat at the table, making her scoot her chair closer to Drew.

"I think Soledad has a point," May said, straightening out her own sapphire-colored dress, making sure none of the red liquid had actually touched it. "Besides, this party looks like it's ending. We should probably get going."

"I agree," Drew said.

"You guys are all a bunch of weenies." Harley stood up, wobbling. "This party ain't boring." He looked out over the crowd, which, indeed, seemed quite boring. "Bah. You just need some music. Good music. What's this opera crap? It's putting me to sleep."

"Harley..." Soledad muttered.

He wagged his finger at her, not realizing that he wasn't actually wagging his finger at her, but at his empty chair. Still, he wagged his finger. "Sol, you need to lighten up some. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I think I left it in the car..."

Harley ignored her, turned around, and headed toward the stage. Despite that he almost tripped over himself, he managed to make it to the small CD player. "You guys just need something with a beat!" He switched off the opera music. That managed to get the attention of some of the coordinators in the room, though they then brushed it off and continued their conversations as if the music hadn't been there to begin with. "Let's see..." Harley flicked through the CDs in the compartment below the player. "Where's the good stuff? Here we go!" He pulled one out and slipped it into the player. He flexed his fingers, getting ready, as the CD player loaded the disc.

A techno beat began to play.

Drew's face fell.

_Oh Arceus. Not this song._

He recognized the tune from when he was younger, where it was played at least once at every single birthday party he had been invited to. At the widened eyes of Soledad and May, he guessed that they remembered it, too.

"_Bring me back to the railroad track_!" Harley yelled out, following the song. He marched in place, then started moving his hips and arms.

_That_ caught everyone's attention.

They stared at him, as he danced like a madman on the stage and the song boomed across the room. Some brows were arched, others looked truly mortified that this drunken man was breaking the professional manner of the party.

Soledad swallowed. "Crap." She looked at Drew and May. "I'll take care of this."

She got up and made her way to the stage. Making sure to stay out of the spotlight the light director had humorously placed on Harley, Soledad tried to usher him off the platform. "Harley!" she called. "Harley! Stop it. You're making a fool of yourself!"

"You're too serious," he said over the music.

"And you're drunk."

"Oh, lighten up, Sol. Coordinators got style, right?" With that, he grabbed her hands and swung her into the spotlight. Soledad stood there, surprised. She looked around – probably for an escape route from the curious eyes of the coordinators on the floor – but Harley grabbed her before she could move. Guiding her with his hand in hers, he made her move left to right, shaking his hips some more.

May chuckled.

Drew wanted to die.

Because, despite everything, Soledad seemed to get into the beat. She slowly started moving with Harley, copying his rhythm – the same moves from the song's music video, which every kid also knew at the time. She laughed, dancing with him.

"May," Drew said, sounding more horrified by the second, unable to take his eyes off Harley and Soledad, "when I say 'go', you and I run for the door, okay?"

There was no response.

"Okay?" Drew looked beside him, where May should have been.

She wasn't there.

Instead, she was now on the stage with Harley and Soledad. Giggling, she got into the music as well, dancing with them in the spotlight. All three were in perfect sync, even with Harley being snockered off his ass.

_Son of a-_

If Harley wanted to do something he was going to regret when he woke up tomorrow, fine. Hell, Drew would even let Soledad do what she wanted – it was her own grave she was digging, after all, and she only learned things the hard way. But May? If he could save one soul's dignity in all of this, it was going to be hers.

Looking around, he gulped, stood from his chair, and tried to straighten his figure with a sense of professional authority. Then, he walked to the stage and stood on the steps leading up to it. "May," he said, a harsh whisper. "May! Get down, now! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Dancing with style," she said, a big grin on her face, still moving with Harley and Soledad. "Harley's right. This party needs some groove."

"Who the hell says that?" Drew furrowed his brows. "May, get down! People are staring. Lots of important people. Where is your pride?"

"I left it in the car with Soledad's adventure."

Drew growled. "May-"

The spotlight flashed on him.

He raised an arm, squinting from the light. He could see that all of the coordinators below now looked at him with that mixture of confusion and shock. The song still went on in the background.

"Seriously? Putting the spotlight on the character trying to save his stupid friends from embarrassing themselves so he somehow gets involved in their shenanigans?" Drew put his fists on his hips. "How cliché."

May grabbed his arms and pulled him to the center of the stage. "Seriously. Now dance. Lighten up a little, Drew. You're always so 'cool'."

"And there's a reason for that-"

But May ignored Drew. Now hand in hand with Soledad and Harley, they danced in a circle around him. The color drained from his face. He felt all of those eyes glued upon him. How did he get himself into these messes?

Then...he felt something else. A strange urge. A strange urge to move.

Yes, the song was stupid and annoying and only kids listened to it, but...it was catchy.

_Damn it, it was catchy!_

Drew started to move. Step by step, side to side. Remembering the dance as well, he, Soledad, Harley, and May became a synchronized quartet, dancing to the words and beat. He even found himself smiling as he looked at his comrades, placing his hands in the pockets of his dress pants, focusing on the song's vital footwork in the center of the stage.

The song ended – and the four coordinators finished with a final twirl and a display of hands toward the crowd.

The room was silent.

Drew blinked, as he realized what had just happened, what he had just done.

_Help...me..._

He still held his position, his once enthusiastic smile now dying down to the still-confused stares of the coordinators below him. He, the famous Drew of the Coordinating World, had just danced as if he had been as drunk as Harley.

With every important coordinator staring at him.

"Dude!" The surfer guy from before stood up, breaking the silence. He raised his fists in the air. "That was totally rad!"

With that, the other coordinators broke out into applause, their lost expressions now ones of joy.

"Wow, Drew." May grinned. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Drew's jaw firmed. "The events of this night are never to be spoken about again."

May looked ahead and shrugged. "Fair enough."

Drew smirked, grabbed May's hand, who then grabbed Soledad's, who then grabbed Harley's.

Harley hiccuped, but nonetheless bowed with them, as the crowd continued to clap.


	16. wanting

**AN:** Reviewer request - A version of "Watching" from Drew's POV. Therefore, some lines are similar, some are different.

* * *

He wants her.

She's walking down the aisle with her blaziken, the lengths of her wedding dress gliding across the red carpet. The air around her glows, just like her smile, just like her blue eyes, just like the excitement of everyone in the chapel – including her father, Norman, who's leading her to the groom.

Even with how they're supposed to clash like earth and wind on a coordinating stage, she had invited him to her wedding to watch and congratulate her.

Because though they're rivals, they're friends in some way, too.

But, it's strange. Because he doesn't want to be here. He doesn't want to see her kiss another man. He wants her, like he's wanted her since their teenager years. And, as he wants her, the rest of the crowd disappears, the music dims into silence, leaving only her, him, and the growing distance between them.

Arceus, she's beautiful. He can only imagine what it would feel like to run his fingers through her brown hair, to touch and taste that creamy skin, to smell that familiar scent of apples and pomegranate, as he holds her, as she curls into him, and he whispers sweet nothings into her ear so that her climax leads her sweaty and shivering in his arms, his name a breathless moan against his chest.

He imagines her wanting him like that, looking up into his eyes afterward, and watching him just like he watches her.

"…I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

He blinks, and, suddenly, the chapel exists again. He looks up and watches as May leans in, eyes closed with bliss, and kisses a man that isn't him.

The chapel fills with applause. He feels sick to his stomach. He gets up and heads for the door, stopping at its threshold to look back at his rival for one last time.

She meets his eyes.

Drew smiles – a fake smile, so that she can't see how his heart has been ripped in two – and he leaves.

* * *

The hotel room in Petalburg he had purchased for the occasion is cold and empty, and he feels so warm. He pulls at his bowtie, undoing it, and he opens the jacket of his tuxedo. He throws it on the bed, right next to the tray table that carries a bottle of whiskey and shot glasses he had purchased yesterday, for this very moment. He picks up a shot glass, gripping it tightly.

The cell phone in his pocket buzzes. He takes it out with his other hand and tosses it onto the bed as well. It was either Soledad or Harley, both of whom would have been wondering why he had left the wedding ceremony so early. He would explain later, how the breakfast they had eaten prior to arriving at the chapel hadn't sit well in his stomach, and he didn't want to ruin May's wedding, because she looked so perfect and beautiful and happy and-

_Arceus damn it!_

He throws the shot glass. It hits the wall, a thousand pieces of glass littering the carpet. He's breathing hard now, angry. But he isn't mad at May. No. He's mad at himself. He's furious at himself. All those years, and he never told her how he felt, because he always believed their careers to be more important than their relationships. He had watched her fall for someone else, because she knew better than him, because she knew that love can work with anything. He didn't want to believe that, and now she was gone, happy, in love, with someone that wasn't him.

There's a knock at the door.

He curses under his breath. Soledad or Harley had followed him here. They both knew about his feelings for May, but the last thing he wanted right now was to be reminded that this happened – that his heart was torn in two – because he let May go.

He opens the door, nonetheless, ready to tell whoever it is on the other side that he isn't feeling well and wishes to be alone.

But he stops.

Because standing in the hallway of the hotel, her eyes glossy, mascara slightly running down her cheeks, is May.

"What…" He swallows. "What are you doing here?"

Silently, she walks past him, the lengths of her wedding dress dragging across the carpet. He closes the door, still in awe, because even with how she seems so lost, she's still beautiful.

"I had to see you," she says.

"But, the reception…won't he-?"

"I told him my stomach was bothering me. According to him, I'm in the bathroom. Post-wedding jitters." She smiles weakly. "You know?"

"Yeah," he says. She looks so sad and broken and he just wants to hold her, but she's a married woman now. He can't.

But that doesn't stop her.

The next thing he knows, he's up against the door. Her lips are on his, her body so close that that scent of apples and pomegranate makes him dizzy. He grabs her and pulls her closer, relishing in her taste, her nails digging into his back and his arms around her and she's murmuring his name and Arceus everything feels so damn wonderful and he doesn't want it to end.

But it does, because he knows that this isn't right.

"No," he manages to say as she brings her mouth to his neck, her tongue dancing circles across his skin. He grabs her shoulders and pushes her away, breathing hard. "_No_."

The tears in her eyes are fresh. "I'm sorry," she says. "I just-"

"I know."

"-and you never did anything, so I thought-"

"I know."

"-but then I saw that look in your eyes before you left the chapel, and I realized-"

"I know," he says, his voice soft. He looks at her wedding dress, and he sighs. "We were never meant to be." He forces a smile. "You picked a good one, though. He'll take care of you, I know he will. He deserves you. I don't."

"Drew-"

"Go, May." He lets go of her shoulders. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone. Post-wedding jitters, like you said. Nothing more. I just want you to be happy. Go back to your reception, live your life, be happy. For me. Please."

She nods, as if it's the only thing she can do. He opens the door for her and watches her walk out. She turns back and looks at him, her eyes as blue as the ocean.

"See you at the next contest, May," he says.

She smiles at that, though he can tell that it's just as forced as his. "Goodbye, Drew."

He watches her walk down the hallway, composing herself so her husband won't ask questions. He wishes he could have given her a rose, just like the old days, but he doesn't have any. He ran out a long time ago.

Holding back tears, he closes the door and sits on his bed. He grabs the bottle of whiskey, another shot glass, and pours himself a glass.

He knows that what he wants, he's not supposed to have.

She's married, and he wasn't the groom. Because though they're friends in some way, they're rivals, too.


	17. that awkward moment

**AN: **Happy Contestshipping Day!

* * *

"Let's see, the next city should be…"

May looked up from her pokegear and examined the environment. Ahead, the path split into three directions. The branches of trees hung down over the compacted dirt like heads bowed in prayer, merciless when it came to letting sunlight in. While the time on her pokegear insisted that it was ten in the morning, she couldn't see the sun beyond the thick canopies above. It was dark; what little light that did peek through the foliage cast shadows along the path and appeared as formless guides in the distance that only moved further away with every step. Vines climbed down from above and fell across the dirt. The cries of various pokemon were May's only company. It was as if she was in a fantasy novel, a lone warrior searching for the ancient forest temple situated somewhere in the dense and seemingly vast expanse of greenery that surrounded her.

"Yeah, I'm lost."

The teenager sighed and tried to compare the trees with pictures from her traveling book. Maybe if she identified which forest she was in, it could tell her which path to take. The contest was tomorrow and she didn't have time to lose her way in this endless woodland. It had been a while since she had first landed on Johto and even then some parts of the region still weren't hesitant to test her navigation skills to the limit. While she swore this forest looked familiar, it looked entirely different, too.

"Rose!"

May jumped at the sudden call. "Holy-"

A pair of red eyes flashed from above, their owner obscured by leaves. May swallowed the rest of her curse, but she didn't turn away from the stare or reach for one of her pokeballs. That gaze looked familiar.

With an elegant leap, the being landed on the ground in front of her, as silent as an assassin. When it stood, it smiled and waved a rose-shaped hand, its eyes now bright with joy.

May blinked. "Roserade?"

Roserade bowed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Rose," the pokemon said with a shrug.

"Is Drew here?"

She nodded.

May breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, there was a sense of home in this alien world. Surely Drew, one of her rivals in coordinating, would know where to go. He was always one step ahead of her. "Can you take me to him?" she asked.

Roserade nodded and gestured for May to follow her. She took the young coordinator to an opening in the trees not far from the leftmost path, illuminated with light from the outside world. Seconds later, they emerged onto a grassy field, the eye in the center of this green-colored storm that lay peaceful below bright blue skies and passing clouds. A gentle breeze caressed May's skin and made the blades of grass dance ever so slightly.

Near the center of the field, she recognized the chartreuse-colored hair of her rival, Drew, as he lay on his side against the grass, unmoving.

She squeaked. "Is he dead?!"

Roserade slapped her forehead with her rose-shaped hand and shook her head.

"Oh, just sleeping?"

"Rose."

"And you're keeping watch?"

"Rose."

"Okay…" May grabbed a pokeball from her pack. "Here, why does Blaziken help you?"

The fire- and fighting-type materialized in front of them. She raised her arms, fire shooting from her wrists, and she called out her name-

"Shh!" May and Roserade hissed.

Blaziken stumbled and looked at the sleeping teenager not far from them. A sheepish smile crossed her beak. "Blaze," she said, more quietly, an obvious apology.

As Roserade and Blaziken disappeared into the forest, May approached Drew, who, indeed, was sleeping peacefully, using his elbow as a makeshift pillow against the grass. He had taken off his purple jacket and rested it beside him, along with his pokemon belt.

_I guess traveling through this dark forest would make anyone tired._

As if to prove her point, she yawned. She undid her pack and slipped her pokegear inside. Then, she sat right beside him, realizing how sore her legs were from the wandering she had done in the forest. From here, she could hear Drew snore – quiet, but there – and she watched as his stomach gently rose and fell with each breath. She lay down and wrapped an arm around his abdomen. Her hand found warmth from between the grass and his black shirt. She shaped her body against his, eyes closed, and she rested her nose on the nape of his neck, somewhat buried in his hair. She inhaled that scent of mint and roses that always followed him around.

She smiled softly.

Drew shifted beneath her touch, though he didn't move from her hold. "Hey, May."

May didn't open her eyes. "Hi, Drew. Sleep much?"

His voice was sluggish with fatigue. "Was up late last night. Figured this place would be as good as any to relax."

"You know the contest is tomorrow, right?"

"It's only about an hour's walk ahead."

She exhaled, relieved. His skin was warm against her lips. "Good to know. I thought I was lost in that forest until your roserade found me."

"Hm? Oh, yeah. She's just making sure I don't get mugged in my sleep."

"Give me all your pokemon."

"Ha ha, you're funny."

May giggled. It was silent afterward and she figured Drew had fallen back to sleep. She nuzzled closer and tightened her hold around him. With the next city not too far off, she could definitely take the time to relax herself.

He shook beneath her hold.

She pulled back, concerned. "Drew?"

He snorted – and she realized that he was trying to stop himself from laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

She went back to holding him. "About what?"

"When we first met."

"As in…when we first met each other in Slateport?"

"Yeah."

"What's funny about that?"

"From today, it was approximately six years ago that you almost hit me in the face with a Frisbee. Happy anniversary, rival."

She blinked. She didn't know "rival anniversaries" were a thing. She was more surprised at the fact that he had been keeping track of how long they had known each other. To her, it had felt like an eternity since she first talked to him on that beach. She smiled. "Happy anniversary, rival."

"And to think," he added, "how you would have never been so bold then as you are today."

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure normal people just don't snuggle up to their rivals when they find them sleeping somewhere."

She had to blush at that. "Well, we're more than rivals by now, aren't we?"

"I'd like to think so, but I was never sure on what you thought. Back then, we had a lot of…awkward moments. I mean, we could talk and stuff, but there was always that sense of competition between us that kind of stopped us from – I don't know – being just friends, maybe?"

"We've spent a lot of time together since we came to Johto. Things were awkward in the beginning, but being rivals doesn't mean we have to hate each other." She hugged him. "You're my best friend, Drew!"

Drew shifted in her arms, switching to his other side so he faced her. She met his dragon-like eyes, smiling at how soft their emerald hues were; it was the same gaze he had given her during their talk in Fennel Valley all those years ago. Even with the passage of time – even with all the things that had changed – his eyes had stayed the same.

"I thought Ash was your best friend," he said.

"He's a good friend, Drew, but just like no one can replace him, no one can replace you." She smirked. "Why? Jealous?"

Drew rested the back of his hand against his forehead, faking a dramatic tone: "May, can't you see that I'm pouring my heart out to you and yet you mock my emotions as if they are lines on the script of a comedic play?"

"Be quiet. You sound like Harley." She chuckled. "Dweeb."

"See? Now you insult me!"

"Only because I feel more comfortable giving you crap now than I did then. Not as awkward. Just comes naturally."

He closed his eyes again. "I suppose I should take that as a compliment."

May leaned her forehead against his, her voice gentle: "Really, Drew. You _are_ my best friend. I want to become Top Coordinator, but I couldn't imagine you not being here. We've been through a lot together, and I appreciate everything you've done. I really hope that this – whatever kind of relationship we have – keeps going, because I really like it. I feel like I can tell you anything."

"Except where the dead bodies are buried, right?"

She smacked him on the shoulder. "Drew!"

He chuckled. "Same here, May. Same here. You're…my best friend, too."

May closed her eyes. Again, it was silent as they lay there, together, forehead against forehead. As she thought about their six year anniversary, she slowly covered his hand with her own. He was right. With all the time they've spent together, nothing truly felt awkward with him anymore.

"May…"

She opened her eyes and met Drew's. His gaze was dark, but with what she didn't know. Then, gently, he pressed his lips against hers.

It was light enough to where if May wanted to pull away, because this crossed that boundary too far, she could. But, she didn't want to. She deepened the kiss, opening her mouth so she could taste him. She felt his fingers brush her cheek, the other cushioned by the grass beneath them.

He pulled away, but only by a few inches; she felt his breath against her lips, her eyes still shut.

"That…" His voice trailed off, as if the kiss had drained his strength. "That wasn't awkward, was it?"

Despite how her heart hammered against her chest, she shook her head. "No."

"Good."

He kissed her again. His scent flooded her senses and made her grip the back of his shirt, gathering the black-colored fibers in her fist. There was a delicious sense of wanting in the pit of her stomach that only grew hungrier the more his lips caressed hers. She weaved her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer.

When they broke apart, she buried her face in his neck, panting.

Drew smiled and leaned his cheek against the green bandana wrapped around the top of her head. "Whatever kind of relationship we have," he said, "happy anniversary to it."

She smiled, too. "Happy anniversary, Drew."


End file.
